It has been a beautiful spring in our city and I'm excited for share the latest news from the City Council with you. We have lots to do in 2024, and I am working hard to advance our efforts to increase affordable housing, broaden our economic development, and provide support for our young people.
I'm looking forward to summertime and hope you'll come out and join me at some of the great events happening in our city. This year we are kicking off the new Proctor Blocks Open Streets events! This event series is going to have opportunities for everyone to get outside and enjoy family fun, food trucks, live entertainment, artisan and vintage goods, and so much more. I hope you will check it out and have a chance to enjoy all the summer fun our incredible city has to offer!
|
 Come Serve with Me at a Volunteer Event!
I am going to be attending a volunteer event at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County on Monday, June 3, from 4 PM to 6 PM, and I want to invite you all to join me in service. We will be helping to make enrichment items for the animals in the shelter, including hanging chew toys for rabbits, wand toys for cats, and “octopus” chew toys for dogs. Kids are welcome too! There will be a coloring station where kids can create portraits of adoptable animals that will be hung on the animals’ kennels.
I'd love to hear about your perspective on our city while we work together to help support animals in need of a forever home. Hope to see you there!
 Sponsoring Our Anti-Displacement Strategy
Like many places in Washington, we have a housing crisis in Tacoma and we need to be thinking about creative solutions to prevent displacement, especially among our most vulnerable residents. To this end, I am very excited to share that I co-sponsored our new Anti-Displacement Strategy, which was affirmed and adopted by the full City Council earlier this year. The Anti-Displacement Strategy includes 21 policy and program actions that could help us better prevent and mitigate the displacement of Tacoma residents from their homes and communities.
I am proud that our City is examining options to help people remain in their housing if they wish to do so. I hope that the options in this strategy will be especially helpful for our seniors who are living on fixed incomes and may be at risk of displacement due to rising housing costs. We need to make sure that our seniors have access to affordable and stable housing. For more information on housing, check out this website: Housing Division - City of Tacoma.
Tacoma Is Making Progress with Two Therapeutic Courts
I am very excited to share some of the great work our Municipal Court is doing with two innovative therapeutic courts. The therapeutic courts aim to address the underlying issues that often lead to criminal behavior, fostering safer communities and brighter futures for individuals. In other jurisdictions, successful program completion in therapeutic courts has significantly lowered the chance of future offenses.
Our therapeutic courts include a Mental Health Court, which supports individuals with serious and persistent mental health diagnoses who are at risk of repeat criminal offenses. We also have a Community Court to support individuals charged with criminal misdemeanor offenses who are often dealing with significant challenges like food insecurity, housing instability, minor mental health concerns, limited job opportunities, substance use disorders, and trauma.
|
The Tacoma Municipal Court partners closely with the Pierce County District Court Resource Center to connect therapeutic court participants with a wide variety of community resources, including mental health and substance use disorder treatment providers, medication assisted treatment providers, housing specialists, insurance navigators, employment/education assistance programs, and more. It also has an onsite food bank and clothing bank.
Did you know that the District Court Resource Center offers supportive resources to anyone in need, regardless of their involvement in the court system? If you need assistance, more information on the services and the schedule of the providers can be found on the Pierce County District Court Resource Center’s website.
For more information on Tacoma Municipal Court’s Therapeutic Courts, check out the City’s website.
|
South Tacoma Way Neighborhood Planning Process Has Kicked Off!
The South Tacoma Way Neighborhood is our third location for a Neighborhood Plan, following McKinley and Proctor. We have an award-winning Neighborhood Planning Team and we have already started working with the community to learn more about their needs. You can share your vision for the future of South Tacoma Way here: Community engagement form.
My City Council colleagues and I also voted to adopt the Proctor Neighborhood Plan, a comprehensive multi-year approach focused on implementing key community priorities and City policies to enhance and strengthen the vibrant Proctor District. You can learn more about the plan here: Proctor District Neighborhood - City of Tacoma.
|
Supporting Tacoma's Youth
I was proud to work with Raising Girls this winter to sponsor 500 winter care bags with personal hygiene and menstrual products, as well as warm winter items, for low-income Tacoma students. By providing hygiene supplies, warm hats, scarves, socks, and gloves, as well as hand-written notes of love, we are helping to improve the health and well-being of students, encourage school attendance, and promote pride and dignity among young people.
Raising Girls is the only non-profit in Pierce County that addresses adolescent hygiene insecurity and period poverty by providing essential products to students and young adults in the Puget Sound area. It was an honor to work with them in support of our young people!
|
 |
|
As Chair of EDC, I recently participated in a meeting with a delegation from our sister city Fuzhou, China. We discussed ways to further enhance our relationship, including advancing additional economic cooperation and trade, as well as cultural, educational, and sports exchanges.
Our Sister Cities program helps us to promote deeper cultural understanding, international visitation, and hospitality that leads to long lasting relationships. Plus, Sister City ties are becoming an increasingly important conduit for economic development.
I love being able to represent Tacoma with our Sister Cities program!
|
Updates from the Tacoma Police Department on Community Safety
Ensuring the safety of our residents is one of my top priorities. I am pleased to share that significant advancements in enhancing public safety are taking place in our city. The City Council received a briefing in April from the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) with the latest data on the Violent Crime Reduction Plan, which showed a notable 18.6% decrease in violent street crime (robbery, aggravated assault, and murder) incidents during the latter half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
TPD's Investigations Unit is also making good progress addressing narcotics. From January 1 to March 31, the Investigations Unit conducted 64 narcotics investigations, resulting in 20 arrests and the seizure of 83 pounds of methamphetamine and 110,000 fentanyl pills, along with 33 firearms recovered. They also apprehended nine violent offenders, including murder suspects. In addition, TPD has spearheaded a multi-jurisdictional organized crime investigation targeting illegal marijuana operations.
TPD has also dedicated efforts to combat Kia/Hyundai theft, resulting in 55 arrests. On March 15, TPD hosted a software updating event at the Tacoma Dome to help prevent theft.
For more information about the Violent Crime Reduction Plan, please take a look at this website: cityoftacoma.org/crimereduction.
|
Mouring the loss of our friend, Council Member Catherine Ushka
It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of our friend and colleague, Council Member Catherine Ushka. She was a proud champion for District 4, deeply committed to public service, and she loved our city tremendously. It was an honor to work with her and I know we will all continue to be inspired by her fierce leadership, compassion, and dedication to making positive change.
|
Get In Touch! I hope you reach out to me if you have any questions or want to share your perspective. I can be reached at kdaniels@cityoftacoma.org.
Please also join us for our City Council Study Session and Council Meetings held on Tuesdays. You can find more information about attending Council sessions in person or virtually here: City Council Meetings - City of Tacoma.
Love our city!
|
Thank you,
 Tacoma City Council Member Kiara Daniels -- At-Large Position 6
|
